AAA Cuts to the Chase Club Kicks Off New Year with 'Barbershop'

Author: Venessa Wong

On Friday, Sept. 26, the African American Alliance (AAA) welcomed the new school year with a screening of "Barbershop" (2002), a comedy directed by Tim Story about a whimsical day in an old-fashioned Chicago barbershop.

The event, which took place in Bicentennial Hall Room 220, surpassed its role as an orientation activity for Alliance members and prompted reflection on deeper sociopolitical issues among more than 30 attendees.

According to New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, "'Barbershop' is a warm, generous comedy that takes place on a single winter day in Chicago. Calvin Palmer (Ice Cube), the reluctant heir to his father's barbershop, cooks up improbable get-rich schemes in his basement and presides over a team of cheerful comic types.

"They include a clueless, good-hearted African immigrant (Leonard Earl Howze), a pompous, priggish college graduate (Sean Patrick Thomas) and a glowering ex-convict (Michael Ealy) as well as a token white boy with a phat SUV and a mastery of hip-hop dialect (Troy Garity) and a token woman with man trouble (Eve)."

AAA President Crystal Belle '04 and the AAA Board planned the screening as an original way to launch the upcoming year, straying from the tradition of hosting an opening meal.

Toni Spence '04, a three-year veteran of the AAA, said, "The movie was a refreshing change in terms of AAA activities."

Belle describes barbershops as "a place where blacks have felt comfortable for generations, being able to talk about any and everything without feeling alienated or rejected."

She says the Board selected "Barbershop" because "it is a black comedy which depicts the economic, political and social realities of many black people today. The movie was located in Chicago's south side, which particularly has a history of socially and economically oppressed blacks."

Athenia Fischer '04, a lifetime member of AAA, (who heartily quips, "Once you go Black you can never go back, and that is the truth.") said, "I thought that 'Barbershop' was a great, funny movie. It talked about all cultures and their faults, as to not single out any one group. I thought it had substantial grounding for what happens in a black barbershop - people talking out their behind not exactly knowing what they are talking about."

She continues,"The underlying themes were good, too. First, that you do not know what you have until you've lost it. Second, how society is involved with taking away the few good things that allow black people to express themselves. Then society wonders why so much violence and other things occur, there is nowhere to go and nothing to do."

Spence called the movie "modern, fresh and funny" and said it also addresses important themes concerning African-American life.""Definitely, it really was a good way of putting African-American issues out there with a 2003 twist without having to look back to old movies and documentaries," she continued.

Belle said the film addressed many socio-political issues.

"The biggest controversy about the film was the Rosa Parks comment in which one of the older characters states that 'All Rosa Parks did was sit down because she was tired," she pointed out.

"When the movie came out, members of the black community were infuriated. However, the character who made the comment always said things in the shop to spawn heated discussion," she explained.

In addition to arousing political consciousness, the film struck a familiar chord among many of the viewers who bore a personal affinity to their own neighborhood barbershops.

Lauren Thompson '06 said, "Barbershops are a part of urban communities. My younger brother who is now 17 has gone to the same barbershop his whole life."

Said Fischer, "I have a lot of brothers that I had to take to the shop. Watching the film was surreal."

Since about 30 people attended the event, there was an intimate atmosphere among viewers.

"The turnout was not what I expected but it was still homey," said Fischer. "It almost made it feel like a bunch of family members had just come over to eat and relax and we decided to watch a movie. The atmosphere was very friendly and warm."

The audience members' varied backgrounds also pleased organizers. "There was a [socio-economically and racially] diverse group of people there," said Belle.

Added Thompson, "It was really nice to see a few people from town come to the movie, as well."

AAA Treasurer Michael Cooper '06 said, "I think that there was a definite sense of community between all the viewers, regardless of whether they were black, white, Hispanic or Asian. We all laughed at the same jokes together and exchanged anecdotes and insights with each other during and after the movie."

Part of the goal for the event, according to Belle, was to "promote and celebrate the beauty of black culture." She said, "I wanted the audience to understand that black people have an inherent 'soulful' culture which always shines within us. Despite our hardships, we always manage to make it through the storm. We are a powerful force in the world, advancing academically as well as economically."